An EICR — Electrical Installation Condition Report — is the formal mechanism by which the safety and condition of a property’s electrical installation is assessed and documented. For landlords it is a legal requirement. For homeowners it is an important periodic check — and for anyone moving into a property where the electrical history is unknown, it is one of the most useful documents you can have before occupying or investing in a renovation.
At Stevenage Electrical, we carry out EICRs across Stevenage and the surrounding Hertfordshire area, issuing reports within 24 hours of the inspection and carrying out any remedial work identified as a direct follow-on where required. We are registered with a government-approved competent person scheme, and every EICR we carry out is conducted to the standard required by BS 7671 and the current edition of the IET Guidance Note 3.
Stevenage’s post-war new town housing stock — the properties built across Bedwell, Shephall, Pin Green, Chells and Symonds Green from the late 1940s through to the 1970s — now has electrical installations that in many cases have never been formally assessed. An EICR on properties of this era frequently reveals deficiencies that are straightforward and cost-effective to address once identified. Get in touch to arrange an inspection.
An EICR is a thorough inspection and test of the electrical installation throughout the property — not a visual check or a cursory assessment. The inspector examines the consumer unit, checks the condition and type of wiring throughout, verifies the earthing and bonding arrangements, and carries out a series of tests on every circuit. These tests include continuity of protective conductors, insulation resistance, polarity, earth fault loop impedance and RCD response times. Every deficiency identified is recorded and graded — C1 for conditions presenting immediate danger, C2 for potentially dangerous conditions requiring urgent attention, C3 for conditions recommended for improvement, and FI for items requiring further investigation. The report provides a clear, graded picture of the installation’s condition and the priority of any remedial work required.
Since 2020, landlords in England have been legally required to have the electrical installation in their rental properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, and to provide a copy of the EICR report to tenants and to the local authority on request. Failure to comply carries a civil penalty of up to £30,000. The requirement applies to all privately rented properties — including houses, flats and HMOs — and any C1 or C2 deficiencies identified in the report must be remedied within 28 days. We carry out landlord EICRs across Stevenage and the surrounding area efficiently and with minimum disruption to tenants, and can carry out any remedial work identified as a direct follow-on from the inspection.
For homeowners, an EICR is not a legal requirement — but it is a sensible periodic check, particularly on older properties where the installation has not been formally assessed in recent years. The current guidance recommends an EICR every ten years for owner-occupied properties, or on change of occupancy. For any Stevenage property built before 1980 — which covers a large proportion of the new town housing stock — an EICR is a worthwhile baseline that establishes the condition of the installation and identifies any deficiencies before they become more serious. It is also a sensible precursor to a consumer unit upgrade or EV charger installation on any property where the installation history is not fully known.
An EICR that returns a satisfactory result — no C1 or C2 deficiencies — requires no further immediate action. The report is valid for the period stated, typically ten years for an owner-occupied property or five years for a rental. An unsatisfactory result — one or more C1 or C2 deficiencies — requires remedial work to be carried out before the installation can be certified as satisfactory. C1 deficiencies present immediate danger and should be addressed as a priority. C2 deficiencies are potentially dangerous and require prompt attention. We carry out all types of remedial work identified through an EICR — from minor repairs and bonding upgrades through to consumer unit replacements and full rewires — as a direct follow-on from the inspection.
An EICR is only as useful as the competence of the person carrying it out. An inspection carried out quickly and superficially — without proper testing of every circuit — does not give you an accurate picture of the installation’s condition. We carry out every EICR thoroughly, test every circuit, and report honestly on what we find — including conditions that may result in additional remedial work being needed. We do not cut inspections short or overlook deficiencies that will complicate the report.
We are registered with a government-approved competent person scheme, issue reports within 24 hours and can carry out any remedial work identified without you needing to find a separate contractor.
We cover Stevenage and the wider surrounding area, including:
Stevenage town and neighbourhoods — Bedwell, Shephall, Pin Green, Chells, Symonds Green, Martins Wood Old Town and surrounds — Stevenage Old Town, Codicote, Knebworth, Woolmer Green Welwyn and Hatfield corridor — Welwyn Garden City, Welwyn, Hatfield, Hertford Hitchin and Letchworth — Hitchin, Letchworth, Baldock, Ashwell, Stotfold
An EICR that reveals deteriorated wiring, inadequate earthing or non-compliant installations across multiple circuits will often indicate that a full rewire is the most appropriate course of action. We carry out full house rewires across Stevenage and the surrounding area — managing the complete process from first fix cabling through to a certified, building-control-notified completion. For the post-war new town housing stock where original rubber-insulated wiring from the 1950s and 1960s is still in service in some properties, a rewire addresses the underlying installation comprehensively rather than treating individual deficiencies in isolation.
Where an EICR identifies the consumer unit as the primary deficiency — an old rewireable fuse board, an early split-load unit without adequate RCD protection, or a board that has run out of ways — a consumer unit upgrade is the appropriate remedial action. We carry out consumer unit replacements across Stevenage as a complete package — assessment, replacement with a modern metal unit, testing and certification. For most Stevenage properties the replacement is completed in a single day, restoring the installation to a satisfactory condition and providing a fresh Electrical Installation Certificate on completion.
An EICR is a sensible first step before booking an EV charger installation on any property where the installation history is uncertain. The inspection confirms whether the existing consumer unit is suitable for the addition of a dedicated charger circuit, and whether any prior work is needed before the charger can be safely installed. We carry out EV charger installations across Stevenage and the surrounding area as a complete managed package — consumer unit assessment, cable route planning, charger installation, testing and certification — with no separate process required from you.
Need an electrical inspection? Get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote from a registered local electrician.